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Heh, good luck. This year was the first year it has been open in a few years due to not enough snow (check out their FB). My wife and I skied there a couple times back in 1999 when we lived in northern Montana. The volunteer hill manager was the postmaster in our little town where my wife was teaching.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vets
TR - Arctic Heli Skiing in Iceland, March/April 2016Quote:
Originally Posted by 406
I'll add Teton Pass to my to-do list too.
I'm currently at 169 and hope to reach 200 before I get old.
Easy if you have an endless season.Quote:
Originally Posted by Endlessseason
Fellow Hokie grad here... Bit later than you in 2011 though.Quote:
Originally Posted by VTskibum
Grew up in SWVA and now live in the DC metro area. Was not expecting this much mid-atlantic participation in this thread lol
Anyways, my list:
VA: Bryce, Wintergreen, Massanutten, Homestead
WV: Snowshoe (my "home" mountain), Winterplace, Timberline
NC: Sugar, Beech, Hawksnest (RIP)
VT: Killington, Smuggs, Jay, Sugarbush/Ellen, Bolton, Magic
QC: Tremblant
ME: Sunday River, Black Mountain
CO: Copper, Winter Park, Steamboat, A Basin, Loveland, Eldora
UT: Alta, Snowbird, Brighton
France: Chamonix, Tignes
Think that puts me around 30. Still A LOT of places on the bucket list of course. Never skied outside of VA/WV until college, and have made it a point to try to get somewhere new every year since.
I've been skiing at the same places for a very long time.. and spend my money so I can live here, as opposed to on travel..... So, the list is short:
CO:
Arapahoe Basin
Loveland
Copper
Steamboat
Keystone
Breckenridge
Vail
Beaver Creek
Sunlight
Aspen
Snowmass
Aspen Highlands
Buttermilk
Silverton
Wolf Creek
Utah:
Canyons
Park City
Snowbird
Alta
New Mexico:
Taos
New York:
Holiday Mountain
Kutchers
Windham
Hunter
Belleayre
Highmont
Mt. Peter
Gore
Labrador
Toggenburg
Song
Greek Peak
Whiteface
Bristol
Brantling
Deer Park
Vt:
Stowe
Mount Snow
Killington
Okemo
Total 40
I feel wimpy at about 42
Is "Chamonix" one area?
I skied Whistler Blackcomb so long ago it counts as 2. Didn't become 1 until 1997 or something
Continent Country State Resort North America USA Alaska Alyeska Washington Mt Baker Crystal Alpental Oregon Timberline Mt Hood Meadows California Soda Springs Boreal Donner Ski Ranch Tahoe Donner Sugar Bowl Northstar Palisades Alpine Meadows Homewood Granlibakken Heavenly Sierra at Tahoe Kirkwood Bear Valley Dodge Ridge June Mammoth Nevada Mt Rose Incline Village (Diamond Peak) Utah Alta Snowbird Solitude Brighton Park West/Canyons Park City Deer Valley Sundance Snowbasin Nordic Valley Powder Mountain Elk Meadows (now Eagle Point) Brianhead Idaho Sun Valley Montana Bridger Big Sky Whitefish Wyoming Jackson Hole Grand Targhee Snow King Colorado Crested Butte Aspen Highlands Ajax Snowmass Sunlight Fail Breckenridge ABasin Silverton Telluride New Mexico Santa Fe Taos Massachusetts Berkshire East Mt Tom New Hampshire Loon Cannon Vermont Stowe Killington Okemo Bolton Valley Jay Pico Mad River Canada BC Whistler Blackcomb Fernie Kicking Horse Revelstoke Red Whitewater Alberta Lake Louise Sunshine Village Norquay-Banff Castle South America Argentina Catedral Las Leñas Cerro Bayo La Hoya Glacier Martial Chile Nevados de Chillán Arpa Yurp Norway Stryn Andorra Grandvalira Spain Boí Taüll Italy Alagna Valsesia/Gressoney-La-Trinité/Champoluc/Frachey (Monterosa) Austria St. Anton/St. Christoph/Stuben/Lech/Zürs/Warth/Schröcken Sonnenkopf – Klösterle Switzerland 4 Vallées – Verbier/La Tzoumaz/Nendaz/Veysonnaz/Thyon St. Moritz – Corviglia Corvatsch/Furtschellas Grimentz/Zinal Andermatt/Oberalp/Sedrun Titlis – Engelberg Disentis Rinerhorn/Jakobshorn (Davos Klosters) Diavolezza/Lagalb Gemsstock – Andermatt France La Grave – La Meije Serre Chevalier – Briançon Alpe d'Huez Brévent/Flégère (Chamonix) Grands Montets – Argentière (Chamonix) Aiguille du Midi (Chamonix) Asia India Solang Nullaha (Kullu Valley) Japan Niseko United – Annupuri/Grand Hirafu/Hanazono/Niseko Village Chisenpuri Moiwa Oceania New Zealand Cragieburn Broken River Temple Basin Mt Olympus Mt Cheeseman Ohau Treble Cone Africa Morocco Oukaïmeden
Lift served. Skiresort.info is a good resource to keep track.
Doesn't include touring, though TBH some of the resorts on the list were skiied when lifts weren't running.
100? Yeah, no! 30 to 35 would be a good guess. Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Pikers'r'us ski team.
Used to be a pretty good contingent of DC mag's. Big E, Tippster, Iceman/Otzi, Snowslider, Mcwopski(?), maybe some others I can't remember. Even had a few gatherings and would meet up w/ folks who visited from out of town. I moved up to PA from NoVA/DC in '05.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Apoc
I vote No on that!Quote:
Originally Posted by PNWbrit
(Especially since if Cham counts as only one ski area, then Killington and Pico have to count as one, since skiing/skinning from one to the other is really easy.)
Although if the consensus is yes, then I'm down from lift-served skiing at 108 lift-served ski areas to only 104 ... or 103, since in that case Sugarbush North and Sugarbush South should count as only one ski area (even if I did ski them before the connector-of-sorts lift) ... or 102, with the same logic for Whistler & Blackcomb (ditto re lift).
Either way, given that the list is heavily weighted toward dinky little hills that I grew up skiing at or later raced or coached at, not an envious list!
Other interesting (or not?) tallies:
- 17 = ski areas that I've skied at only once the lifts were permanent closed (without having previously skied there)
- 13 = ski areas that I've lift-served skied at that then subsequently closed for years (high % of the 100+ total!)
- 9 = subset of the above closures that were permanent (with Ascutney, Haystack, Magic, and Whaleback arising from the dead)
- 8 = lift-served ski areas that I've skinned at yet not ridden the lifts (not included in the 100+ total)
I think the permanently closed areas on people's lists is super cool. I only have one regrettably. You can't tag em without time travel. Score for the elders.
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Despite growing up 8 minutes from a resort in VT, I didn't start skiing until college/grad school. And then I only concentrated on northern VT for the most part. I really need to grab the bull by the nuts and hit central and southern VT, as well as NY, and QC to get my numbers up a bit.
In my 30's I took advantage of some business trips to hit areas in WA, WV, and NJ.
Here's my meager 23
VT-
Burke
Lyndon Outing Club
Jay Peak
Stowe
Smugglers Notch
Bolton Valley
Sugarbush
MRG
Okemo
NH-
Cannon
Loon
Wildcat
Tenny Mtn
ME-
Saddleback
Sugarloaf
NJ-
Mountain Creek
WV-
Snowshoe Mtn
CO-
Copper Mtn
Keystone
Breckenridge
Arapahoe Basin
WA-
Crystal Mtn
Mt Baker
can you count the aiguille du midi tram as a ski area?Quote:
Originally Posted by PNWbrit
I sure did for my max count of 108:Quote:
Originally Posted by dunfree
- I paid for a lift ticket.
- I rode lifts to the top.
- I skied down.
How is that any different than a normal ski area?
Okay, sure, I had to walk down a little bit to reach the skiable snow, but how is that any different than Killington in late May or early June?
(I recall noticing at the time that the warning sign at the tram base was smaller than the sign for the Loon NH terrain park.)
Attachment 412232
Less barbed wire than Gulmarg but most “ski areas” make an attempt at a ski area (including Gulmarg which had a couple rarely running lower lifts). The midi is a scenic tram, not a ski area. Flegere-brevent, les grand minters, les contamines are ski ateas
Beckton Alps.Quote:
Originally Posted by uglymoney
Attachment 412237
Super St Bernard is my closed area.
How is this not a ski area?Quote:
Originally Posted by dunfree
I see a mountain, I see snow, I see an idiot tourist from Massachusetts (i.e., myself) who did not ascend a single vertical foot (or should that be, meter?) under his own power, I see massive gaping crevasses -- pretty much the same as Wachusett early on spring mornings before the ski patrol places hazard bamboo in front of the holes opening up in the snowpack.
Attachment 412239
Attachment 412240
Oh my:Quote:
Originally Posted by PNWbrit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beckton_Gas_Works
"The toxic spoil heaps from the works are known ironically as Beckton Alps. Originally covering an extensive area to the west of the works, they have been landscaped and much reduced in size. From 1989 to 2001 a dry ski slope, opened by Diana, Princess of Wales, was operated on the small remaining section [...], though the nickname pre-dates this."
"The gasworks buildings were also used in a number of scenes representing a dystopian 1984 London in the 1984 film version of the George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four."
"In the final hour or so of Full Metal Jacket, Stanley Kubrick's 1987 movie portraying the Vietnam War, Matthew Modine (Private Joker), Adam Baldwin (Animal Mother) and their platoon go into Huế, a Vietnamese city, to clear it of Viet Cong and snipers. Kubrick had the whole gasworks selectively demolished and the art department then dressed the 'set' with latticework and appropriate advertising hoardings to make it believable."
A wee bit different than the typical closed ski area in New England!Quote:
Originally Posted by dunfree
https://www.hakski.com/super-st-bernard
a bus of school kids and some québécois when I was there :fm:Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan S.
terrain wise, very different
Been to Mt Tom lately?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan S.
See ya in June.
Mt Tom is a bit further from me than other local options, so I've been there only once, post-closure, in 2009, which prompted me to write the following TR at the time:Quote:
Originally Posted by Tri-Ungulate
"If you have never been there before, I highly recommend visiting around twilight, with high winds, dark skies, ever-so-slight sprinkles, and no other people. Combined with the ski area detritus and rather stark vegetation, the outing had a delightfully post-apocalyptic air. If some post-production shooting is necessary for The Road, and Pennsylvania is no longer available after such horrible publicity, then with a few extras as cannibals, the setting would be perfect."
Last winter though we happened to be returning from the Mass Pike via a different route, and while driving along somewhat of a plateau, I caught the most amazing view of Mt Tom: from a distance, looked like an open ski area! Apparently some gov't agency is periodically clearing the trails for some sort of reason.
(Unfortunately though a microburst a few years on Mt Tom wrecked the exit from this alpine couloir on the other side of the ridge: https://photos.app.goo.gl/WjANxQou2jVyvA738)
I'll plan to stop by your 35th reunion tent to steal some food!
(A ski teammate is staying with me the prior week for her son's graduation, how'd we get so old?)
I thought I would break a 100 easily but only came up with 67. I am sure that there are a few that I missed and when skiing in Europe I counted the town not the many ski areas that comprise them. Also omitted heliskiing.
I think that it is fair to break down the Euro towns to individual resortsQuote:
Originally Posted by Ski to Be
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I am around 200
I thought it was a regular ski area when I showed up extremely hung over from a long train ride. I thought I'd hit some afternoon groomers up there and drug my mogul skiing friends with me - they were cursing me most of the run down as they had never skied anything like it. It was kinda an intense run on an extreme wine hangover. In the tram line was a buncha guys in harnesses and that's when I realized we might be in over our heads. Two dudes spoke American so I asked a few questions of them and they were nice and 'guided' us through the crevasses. Small world - it was Hick (and his brother) from this board, ha.Quote:
Originally Posted by dunfree
Anyways I'm counting it if I actually had motivation to count the resorts I've been too.
To make this easy, Live in Vermont, California, and North Cal. A stint in SLC helps too. A stint in Geneva too. Then do some storm chasing in Japan, they have 500 resorts. Then some club field fun in NZ.
Caviahue, ArgentinaQuote:
Originally Posted by larilinesign
Totally different trees from Northern Hemisphere
Live volcano
Kiroro, Hokkaido, Japan
Blown away by the consistency of snowfall
Been skiing there since 2008
Dud days on the fingers of one hand
Club fields of New Zealand for the walk in & nutcracker lifts
Narvik and Stranda in Norway for skiing above the sea / fjord
Belalp, Switzerland
Skiing through a tunnel to get to the good stuff
Engelberg, Switzerland
Over the head bluebird pow on 15 May
Dare I ask, but were any on your list that were memorable for their blandness, forgetfulness, crappiness ?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Pow
Basically, to add to the discussion, resort you HAVE to go back to it was so awesome ? Resort you don't ever want to go back to? (for whatever reason)
Resort I have to go back to is and has been the same for the entirety of my skiing life. Lake Louise. Such an awesome place. I have to think about which ones occupy the other end of the spectrum.
Would return to nearly all of them, gladly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Angle Parking
Didn't get / never had the best conditions at Lake Louise and Panorama, Canada; Tignes & Val d'Isere, France; Zermatt, Switzerland so would like to return to those when it's pumping.
Hiked both Jay Peak and Mad River Glen one October before the lifts started spinning, would like to ski them when they're fully open.
No desire to return to Cardrona and Coronet Peak in New Zealand; and Rikksgransen in Sweden.
And bottom of the list is The Canyons, Utah. I worked a winter based in Park City and had free seasons passes for Park City, Deer Valley and The Canyons.
At the end of the winter I'd paid for and skied more times at Snowbasin and Powder Mountain. Way more times. That should tell you all you need to know.
My one hill for the rest of my days?
Overall, Kiroro Resort on Hokkaido, northern Japan. Got everything, including steep and long if you're prepared to tour.
Off the lift
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlnjZEcBWgg&t=58s
My favourites in each country which I could easily call 'home' - mostly about the snow and terrain but the town or proximity to real towns is a major factor
Andorra - Arinsal
Argentina - La Hoya
Austria - Lech
Canada - Kicking Horse
Chile - Termas de Chillan
France - Chamonix
Georgia - Gudauri
Italy - San Martino di Castrozza
Kosovo - Brezovica
Montenegro - Savin Kuk
New Zealand - Mount Dobson
North Macedonia - Popova Shapka
Norway - Stranda
Scotland - Nevis Range
Switzerland - Engelberg
Turkey - Sarikamis
USA - Whitefish Mountain Resort
Did the actual accounting. Not 200 but in the 165-175 range depending on how you count some things. In the process, I remembered a lot about skiing and just started adding it.Quote:
Originally Posted by maskinut
Most Exotic: South Africa, Dubai, Israel
Best Run: Super C Couloir In Chile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uBNXJj712Y
Best Heli Drop: Oz Couloir
Best Snow: Japan
Best Vacation Spot: Trois Vallees France.
Best of VT: Stowe or Killington.
Best of CO: Snowmass
Best of CA: Squalpinisades or Mammoth
Best Adventure: Ski Arpa Chile, Mt Hermon Israel,
Biggest Air: Squaw Granite Peak or Buttermilk X Games Big Air.
Biggest Injury: Killington (hipshot to granite)
Learned at: Waterville Valley
Met Wife: Stowe
Kids 1st runs: Squaw
Best Terrain on Earth: Alaska, (Cordova/Valdez)
Deepest Days: Tahoe, Tahow, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe,
Ski town Jobs: Valet, Waiter, Resort Marketer, Tech Marketer
Best Ski Car: Audi S4, Thule Box, Valentine 1 Radar, Blizzaks.
Easiest Binding to free mount: Marker Jester
Favorite Ski Ever: Kastle MX88 188
Widest SKi: Liberty Genome 170-141-158 or Moment Comi- 160/135/145
Fastest Skied: 82 MPH
Most Laps on a single Chairlift: 38 (KT 22)
Best Victory: Dick's Ditch Jackson Hole Silver Belt Buckle
Rescues: 1 (Cliffed out in Austria)
Avalanche Deaths: 3 friends
Quiver: DH, GS, SL, Mogul race skis. Moment Comi's for 10 foot Tahoe storms, Salomon qst for BC, Daily Driver, Kastle 104 HP, and about a dozen other old skis I take out from time to time. Oh, and Tom From Austria sponsored me for his RaxSkis. (Long story)
Ski Towns I've lived in: Burlington/Stowe, Aspen, Squaw Valley, Anchorage.
Broken Skis: 4
Binding Heels Ripped Loose: 3
Hospitalizations: 1 Knocked out, 1 hip impact, 1 Jackson Hole Snowmobile crash.
1st pair of new skis: Rossignol 7xk
Fun Comps/Events: Pain McShlonkey, High Fives Skinny SKi-athon, Rahlves Banzai Tour, Cushing Crossing, Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge.
Best Spring Skiing: Squaw Valley or Killington
Best Bars: Mooservirt, Picklebarrel, anything in the French Alps.
Best Skier I've ever skied with: Shane McConkey ( He didn't know we were skiing together), Daron Rahlves (in his Banzai Tour and in High 5's Mothership Classic)
Best Thing About Skiing: It feels superhuman to move around like this.
Days a Year: Never less than 40 since I got a driver's license. (Except Year of Kid 2)
Most Ridiculous: Aspen Cloud 9 Champagne Apres
Most Days in a Season: 100+ Aspen 2x
Most Overrated: Alta generally (Not nearly as good as the next closest resort, snowbird). Squaw when the snow is low.
Best Gloves: Hestra Vertical Cut
Best Helmet: Smith Vantage
Best Goggles: Smith
Coldest: -25F Sutton Quebec
Stellar work
Well played
You are killing it dude. A ski life well lived!Quote:
Originally Posted by maskinut
Very entertaining thx.
Best mammoth experience?Quote:
Originally Posted by maskinut
And I have to say I liked the terrain in Haines more than in cordova, but that may have to do with lead guide vs. Soso guide.
I've only toured in valdez so I don't know about the heli terrain apart from the stuff at the pass there.
I've never really hit mammoth on a "great" day. But, it is amazing in the spring. My peak mammoth day would have been April 21 about 10 years ago. I put the summer tires on the car and had a fun rip-up sonora pass. On Saturday I skied bumps 9-12 non-stop, switched to the MTB park at the bottom 12-3 ish and then said what the hell, and got 9 holes in at the local course. Ended up golfing with Eric Jackson as he was also shooting solo. The plan for Sunday was to drive home and skin a lap somewhere but my body was smoked and just getting into the car was peak activity for the day.
I've lucked out on guides and weather in AK landing the owners as guides a few times. (Dean at H20, Kevin at PNH).
I didn't discern a big difference b/t Valdez or Cordova in terms of terrain. Haines is a place I need to check out, as is where Silverton flies in AK.
But, there are real benefits to going with an op that "knows you", your skills, and your ability to make good decisions vs a random tourist with a credit card. So it is always a hard call, go to a new place and build the trust to get the good shit (if the weather agrees) or go to a known quantity where if the weather permits, you are in world-class terrain at run 2.
Fun list and four of them really stood out to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by maskinut
Couldn't agree more with Valdez, AK. Deepest, most incredible snow I've skied on the planet. I've heli'd Cordova as well, but didn't like the company or all the down days there at all.
We have both skied about 170 different areas. It's highly probable that at least half of them are on both our lists. Which is why, considering all the amazing powder days you have no doubt experienced just as I have, I can't get my head around how your deepest days have been at Tahoe. So interesting. And it's not like I haven't skied all the Tahoe areas on amazing powder days. I guess my Tahoe timing just hasn't been as lucky as yours.
I had a good laugh at your inclusion of the Valentine One. I don't go on any long drives without both the V-1 and the fancy 2020 Cobra (I can't remember the model).